Everything you need to know about QR Code Scanner
QR Code Scanner is the most common in Japan, where the code is the most common in the country. Over time, the use of the QR code increased and it was defined as a standard by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization). In Asia, most mobile phones are sold with the QR Code reading system already installed on them, and in the rest of the world, you can download a simple and free application that is suitable for any mobile device that includes a camera.
A QR code makes it possible to save digital data and encode it into a relatively small graphic square that can be printed on paper, for example, and which can then be easily read by any mobile cellular device that has a camera and a simple application installed on it that can interpret the code and display the text, or any other data, embedded in the code. The code can contain a large amount of text, an image, a link to a website or a video, a business card that includes all contact information, a discount coupon for some product, or even all the samples together with a single QR code. By using a QR code and a simple phone camera, the user can scan a graphic code and receive the data embedded in it.
Some dry facts:
Invented in 1994 by a Japanese corporation called "Denso Wave".
The name QR is derived from the term Quick Response, since the QR Code is decoded at a very high speed.
You can identify QR by the 3 squares in the corners. Here is the full specification of the barcode.
Can contain about 4300 alphanumeric characters!
Very common in Japan since 2006. Almost all the phones marketed there come with QR Code reading software.
There are quite a few mobile applications for reading QR, which automatically identify links, phone numbers, etc. Most of them are free.
Anyone can generate a QR with this tool or API for programmers.
Can be produced:
Calendar event
Contact information
Email address
Geolocation
Phone number
SMS
Text
URL
Wifi network
Some examples of uses, almost all of them already exist today:
Add-on for the browser - click the button, get a QR of the address of the current page, scan it, and take it with you to continue reading on your mobile.
In print ads (flyers, newspapers, billboards...) - was the ad interesting to you? Scan for more information or to purchase.
Similar to print ads - also other non-interactive advertising, including advertisements on television or giant screens outside.
Banners - scan and get an instant link to download an app/coupons/video, etc.
Business cards - scan to get all the contact information directly to the phone.
On packaging in fast food restaurants - scan and get detailed information on the nutritional values ​​of the dish.
At bus/train stations - scan to get information on the estimated time of arrival and the expected route.
Interaction on TV - want to vote for the candidate shown now? Take a screenshot.
How does all this relate to us?
The hysteria remained for years within the borders of Japan. Why doesn't it work here too? Because we don't do what they did - QR scanners are built into almost every phone, even simple phones. The business owners are aware of this tool and use it. Thus - like a snowball - it went and gained momentum.
With us, QR readers are not known to users. Even in Europe and the USA, it is less common, although it exists. Almost no phone comes with this as a built-in feature. This is of course under the control of the phone manufacturers and the cellular providers who define the initial configuration of the device.
Google is trying to introduce the use of QR in several ways, the most prominent of which is the standard for downloading Android apps. Little by little, as the Android penetration rate increases, suddenly the audience is more aware of this barcode, and the snowball begins to roll. Suddenly it starts to appear. In June of this year, a huge digital advertisement of the City of NY in Times Square contained barcodes in a very visible way. Friends also say that in certain places in Europe (Amsterdam), it really catches on during this period.
